Vertically adjustable hitch



Dec. 7, 1954 s. D. RUSSELL 2,696,391

VERTICALLY ADJUSTABLE HITCH Original Filed May 18, 1943 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 1954 ,s. D. RUSSELL 2,696,391

VERTICALLY ADJUSTABLE HITCH Original Filed May 18, 1943 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 5mm 57D P05)? United States Patent 2,696,391 VERTICALLY ADJUSTABLE HITCH Stanley 1). Russell, Racine, Wis., assignor to J. 1. Case Company, Racine, Wis., a corporation 2 Claims. (Cl. 280-490) This invention relates to baling machinery and particularly to pickup balers designed to move over the field and pick up hay or other fibrous material which ifsllzialed during the progress of the machine over the This application is a division of the co-pending ap plication to Stanley D. Russell, Serial No. 487,482, filed May 18, 1943, for Pickup Balers, now Patent No. 2,478,324.

An object of this invention is to improve the hitch by means of which the machine is transported.

Another object of this invention is to provide a novel means of supporting the hitch-end of the baler when not connected to a tractor.

Further objects and advantages will become apparent from the annexed specification and drawings in which a. satisfactory embodiment of the machine is shown. However, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the details disclosed but includes all such variations and modifications as fall within the spirit of the invention as herein expressed.

in the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a right side elevation of the machine with parts in section and others broken away;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged left side elevation of certain mechanisms shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the machine with certain parts broken away an Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary view partly in horizontal section of certain details of Fig. 3.

As more fully described in the Russell application, Serial No. 487,482, this invention relates to a pickup baler. Referring to Figs. 1 and 3, a bale case extends longitudinally of the baler and is supported by transport wheels 11. A pickup 12 and a feeding deck 13 provide the means of bringing the material to be baled from the ground into the baling chamber.

Members 14 and 15 of case 10 extend forwardly and terminate in an engine platform forming a continuation of case 10.

Hitch 16 as seen in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 comprises for- 17 and 18 united at 19 to wardly extending members form an A frame. Member 17 is pivoted at 20 to member 15 of the engine platform while member 18 is pivoted at 21 to the member 14 To render the arrangement stable, a diagonal brace 22 is pivoted at 23 to an upper portion of bale case 10 and also to above mentioned member 17 as by a bolt 24. Bolt 24 is adjustable in a slot 25 in the above mentioned member 17 and when loosened permits up-and-down adjustment of members 17 and 18. Bolt 24 is located as near as convenient to a hitch pin opening 26 in member 17 so as to reduce the length of the unbraced portion of member 17 to a relatively small amount. The stresses tending to displace olt 24 become quite substantial on rough ground and in order to insure against shifting of the bolt 24 in slot 25 a strip 27 is interposed between members 17 and 22. Strip 27 extends backwardly from bolt 24 and is clamped in engagement with member 17 by an additional bolt 28, clamped in a slot 29. Therefore, shifting of bolt 24 in slot 25 will necessarily result in a tendency to shift bolt 28 in slot 29. The clamping effect is therefore twice what it would be with a single bolt as 24, while the point of attachment of brace 22 is desirably near hitch pin opening 26.

For convenience in supporting the machine, in the 30 absence of a tractor or other supporting vehicle, a stand generally designated as 30 is provided attached to drawbar 16. As seen in Figs. 1, 3 and 4 this stand 30 com-- prises a plate 31 carrying an upstanding tubular member 32 which has a shaft 33 threadedly engaged therein at a constricted portion 34. in a clevis 35 and has a crank portion 36 by which it may be rotated to raise and lower drawbar 16 as will be apparent in Fig. 1. A collar 37 prevents endwise movement of shaft 33 in clevis 35 in one direction and a pin 38 prevents such movement in the other Clevis 35 is urged agamst a bracket 39, fixed with member 17, by a bolt 40 and a spring 41 surrounding the bolt and forcing clevis 35 into contact with When stand 30 is not in use it is swung to an inoperative position as indicated in Figs. 3 and 4. To reach this position, plate 31 must pass a flange portion 42 of above mentioned member 17. This is accomplished by the compression of spring 41 and shifting of clevis 35 temporarily away from bracket 39 as suggested in dotted lines in Fig. 4 When stand 30 reaches its inoperative position, spring 41 maintains the parts in the position shown in Figs. 3 and 4 until again needed.

It will appear that a novel drawbar and support has been provided which will assure ease in adjusting the drawbar to the proper height when hitching the baler to a tractor.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent of the United States is:

l. A draw bar for a pickup baler, having a longitudinally extending baling chamber, constituting a main body portion for said baler, said draw bar including an A frame, pivotally connected to the front portion of said body portion, having a front hitch pin connection and providing a slotted hole adjacent said hitch pin connection, a diagonal brace pivoted to the front portion of said body portion at a point spaced vertically from said A frame and connected to said A frame adjacent said hitch pin connection, a clamping bolt pivotally connecting said brace with said A frame and engaged in said slotted hole in the latter, a bar engaged with said bolt and extending rearwardly along said A frame, and clamping means engaged with said bar and said A frame rearwardly of the point of connection of said diagonal brace with said A frame, and constituted to clamp said bar to said A frame to assist said clamping bolt in maintaining an immovable connection between said A frame and said diagonal brace.

2. A draw bar for a baler, having a longitudinally extending bale chamber, constituting the main body of the baler, said draw bar including a member pivotally connected to the front of said body portion, having a front hitch pin connection and providing a slotted hole adjacent said hitch pin connection, a diagonal brace pivoted to said body portion at a point spaced upwardly from the pivotal connection of said member to sai body portion, and to said member adjacent said hitch pin connection, a clamping bolt pivotally connecting said brace with said member and engaged in said slotted hole in the latter, a bar engaged with said bolt and extending rearwardly along said member and clamping means engaged with said bar and with said member rearwardly of the point of connection of said diagonal brace with said member and constituted to clamp said bar to said member to assist said clamping bolt in maintaining an immovable connection between said member and said diagonal brace.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,226,687 Mowry May 22, 1917 1,636,276 Benjamin et al. July 19, 1927 2,328,343 Jacob Aug. 31, 1943 2,328,850 Sensenig Sept. 7, 1943 2,383,666 Martin Aug. 28, 1945 2,409,313 Richardson Oct. 15, 1946 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 742,679 France Mar. 14, 1933 

